The Big 3 behind Instagram Algorithm (How the algorithm works)

7 min readDec 12, 2019

Grow your Instagram followers organically in 2020

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Before we dive into the major factors that control the algorithm, we have to understand what algorithm really is, and the purpose behind all this.

In terms of algorithm, you can think of it as a way computers make decisions. Instagram algorithm, in this case, determines the position of where your post will be displayed, or sometimes… not displayed at all. Based on the algorithm, Instagram selectively prioritizes some posts over others on users’ feed, providing them the most exposure and reach. Therefore, understanding how the algorithm works can be a great advantage one can use.

And just like Facebook, Instagram earn its revenue from paid advertisements. And in order to encourage companies to take money out of their pockets, Instagram’s goal is to build a platform that delights the users — a place that attracts eyeballs, and keeps them for as long as possible so the ads can have more reach and exposure.

So, if you can understand how Instagram decides who gets to be popular and who doesn’t based on the algorithm, and nail those decision-making factors, then growing on Instagram will just become an instant game for you(pun intended). I know. Pretty exciting isn’t it?

So how exactly do we do that?!

Well. Here’s how.

The Big 3 behind Instagram Algorithm

Factor #1: Interest

Instagram algorithm determines what content to present according to users’ interest. That being said, you must first understand what your target audience likes, what they want to see and what type of content they are interested in, and then design your posts accordingly. Basically giving them what they want. By doing this, your posts will have a much better chance of being seen, liked, shared, and saved — all the important stuff you need to grow your instagram account.

In order to understand your target audience, you can simply set up a business account. (How to Set Up an Instagram Business Account)

Instagram Business Account

After switching to business account, you can get lots of valuable information including the performance of each of your posts.

You can know which types of posts are more popular, what topics or what visual they appreciate better, and just learn more about all the users who have paid attention to you. Feel free to even conduct some small experiences and just play around with it!

The data and analytics also give you the demographic of your followers including gender, age, location (city&country), as well as the time periods in which they’re most active.

Instagram also keeps all records in history sorted by engagements and impressions for up to two years.

High quality posts & stylish grids

As visual creatures, Instagram speaks right to our human instinct. If you can’t get this one right, I’m sorry, you’re pretty much being brushed off in the first round. Visual. Period. I can’t stress this enough. Learn how to take quality pictures, use colours, pay attention to lighting, angles, etc. On top of that, your grids style will be the first impression when someone goes to your profile. It is your brand, so never underestimate it. (How To Make Your Instagram Look Beautiful)

#Hashtags

Tagging helps increase exposure and reach specific to certain audience groups. It also encourages engagement within that community. But using non-relatable tags will not do any good, same with generic tags that have been used by tens of millions of people, or some tags that no one uses. Cuz what are the odds of your posts being seen, really?

Instead, you can try this:

50% of the tags => search results = 10–200k

25% of the tags => search results > 200k

25% the tags => search results < 10k

Post at optimal time

Use your business account analytics to find out when your followers are most active. Posting during that time will allow you to get to most people!

Best time to post on Mondays: 7am, 3pm, and 6pm

Factor # 2: Relationship

To encourage users to spend as much time as possible on Instagram, by analyzing your interactions with other users, Instagram prioritizes sharing your latest updates to those who have a close relationship with you. This means people who follows you, those who watch your stories, like/comment/share/save your posts, send messages, tags, etc.

After understanding this, let’s take a look at the following tips that allow you to build better relationships with other users, and get Instagram to share your most recent posts with them, and ranking at the top of their feeds:

Encourage Engagement

Likes, comments, shares — all these can make your posts ranked higher and have more opportunities to be seen. While posting, make it engaging. You can try incorporating questions, fill in the blanks in your captions, or doing competitions, gifts giving and what not— use your imagination!

And don’t underestimate the power of replying to people, this is the most direct and effective way to connect with them!

Use your Story

Tell your story! Story is where we share the moments of our lives. One of the benefits of story is that can be fairly casual, enabling us to stay authentic and real. The “limited time” feature also motivates users to click and watch before it disappears, and just really helps us stay on top of our followers mind, and build connections with them in a more personal level.

You can take advantage of in building your character or your brand through stories. (16 Instagram Stories Hacks That Will Blow Your Mind)

Tag people

Tag your friends! Tag your family! Tag your dog! Tagging can directly help you get more likes, comments which boost your post, and your posts will also be given priority to be shown on your friends’ Instagram feeds!

Factor # 3: Timeliness / Recency

The more recent the post, the higher it ranks. Well… Does that mean you have to keep posting to be on the top? How often should you post? Is it the more the better? Well that depends. There is no one-size-fits-all answer. But! You can remember these rules of thumb to find out what works best for you:

Consistency over frequency

Social media expert Neil Patel explained: “If you make a habit of posting several times a day and then transition to only a few times a week, you will start to lose followers and generate less engagement per post. This means that the best posting frequency for Instagram is the posting frequency that you can consistently maintain for the rest of your natural life.”

Quality over quantity

Scott Stratten talked about the principle of Brand Pulse. He says that every interaction between a brand and a consumer either increases that person’s affinity for the brand, or reduces it. There is no “neutral” gear in our feelings about companies, only “forward” and “reverse.”

Understand your objective

“The more you post to Instagram, the less impact an individual post has. However, the more posts you post, the more you reach overall.” — Hélène Heath

So, before publishing, think about what your ultimate goal is. Is it the number of followers? Or to promote a particular product or event? If number is what’s important, then you may want to post more frequently; however, if you want to have more engagement for individual posts, then posting less may actually work better.